Democrat Caught Using ‘Cue Cards’ — Faces Severe Backlash

Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola drew mockery after she was seen consulting notes during a debate with Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.

Video clips showed Peltola looking down at a small piece of paper with bullet points while answering questions. The glances occurred during discussion of both policy topics and personal details.

Sullivan posted on X, “Really, Mary? Reading off a script? You can’t cue-card your way through the Senate.” Joanna Rodriguez of the National Republican Senatorial Committee wrote, “Mary, blink twice if you are okay. It seems you can’t string a sentence together without reading from the talking points your Lower 48 handlers wrote you.”

Another online commenter said, “Mary Peltola can’t read her name or that she’s a grandmother without needing a cue card.” During the debate itself, Sullivan asked the moderators whether candidates had received the questions in advance.

Both moderators answered no. Sullivan then said, “OK. I’m just watching my opponent.” Peltola responded that she was simply better “prepared.” No evidence has emerged that she received advance copies of the questions.

Republicans also noted that Peltola introduced no bills to assist Alaska fishermen during her prior term in the House. They highlighted footage of her consulting notes while discussing the fishing industry.

The exchange grew heated over separate allegations. Sullivan cited reporting that 25 employees had left while working for Peltola. She called the claims “outright fabrications or mass exaggerations of the truth” and said the election should not be decided by her “worst day.”

Moderators warned that microphones could be cut if interruptions continued. The candidates also clashed over a proposed liquefied natural gas pipeline. Sullivan defended investment commitments tied to a trade agreement; Peltola supported the project but cautioned against “promoting falsehoods that just have no substance.”

Peltola previously became Alaska’s first Democratic House member in decades after the death of longtime Republican Rep. Don Young. She is challenging Sullivan in a state that supported President Trump in 2024.

The Cook Political Report rates the contest a toss-up. Control of the Senate could be affected by the outcome. The debate footage has circulated widely among both campaigns’ supporters.